Elves
Race : Moon Elf (Silver Elf) Teu'Tel'Quessir Regions : The Dalelands, Elf (moon), Evermeet, the High Forest, the North, Silverymoon, the Western Heartlands. Although the moon elves were not the first elves to migrate to Faerûn, they comprised the largest migration. Even in the ancient past their joy of travel seems to have been present, for they came to Faerûn in great numbers indeed. The moon elves wanted to explore this new world rather than settle down, and so did not establish nations of their own for some time, preferring to settle in other elven nations, such as Othreier and Keltormir. Moon elves prefer to dress in rustic clothes of simple cuts and fashions that are nevertheless of fine and exquisite make. They adorn their dress with embroidered patterns, beads, and similar trappings, preferring earthen colors for everyday wear, hues that make it easy to conceal themselves in foliage. In places of safety or in times of revelry, moon elves enjoy dressing in bold colors - the more brightly colored, the better. Hair is worn in braids or ponytails, twined with wires or beads. Moon elves sometimes wear body paint or tattoos in mystic patters, although not to the extent the wild elves do. Physical appearance The most common of the elven subraces on Faerûn are the moon elves. The teu'tel'quessir. They have fair skin, sometimes tinged with blue, and hair of silver-white, black, or blue; humanlike colors are somewhat rare. Their eyes are blue or green, with gold flecks. As far as the elves of Faerûn go, moon elves are most like the elves presented in the Player's Handbook. Moon elves have the life expectancy and age categories defined for elves, but use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of those described. Moon elf, male 4'10" +2d10 90 lb. x (2d4) lb. Moon elf, female 4'5" +2d10 70 lb. x (2d4) lb. Outlook Moon elves are more impulsive than the other elves, and dislike remaining on one place for any significant amount of time. Most moon elves are happiest when traveling, especially across the expanses of untrodden wilderness that still survive in Faerûn. This is probably the single greatest reason why they are so much more friendly and accommodating to other races than many other elves. They do not isolate themselves from the human lands behind impervious defenses. Moon elves have watched humankind for much longer than their sun or wood elf kin, and they know that nonelves aren't as foolish and unimportant as most other elves think. They feel that engaging promising human realms such as Silverymoon and instilling elven values and culture in these young lands is a better way for the elven race to survive and thrive than hiding away and avoiding all contact with ambitious, grasping humans. Moon elves are drawn to adventure through sheer wanderlust. They desire to see and do everything possible during their long lives. Like their allies, the Harpers, moon elves believe that a single person of good heart who stands up to injustice or evil can make a big difference. The typical moon elf adventurer tends to be a wandering protector of the common folk, not a dungeon-plundering slayer of monsters. Relations with other races Of the elven subraces, moon elves are the most tolerant of nonelves. They travel extensively, and a moon elf can expect to interact with hundreds of different races throughout her life. Moon elves find the diversity of Faerûn's races to be intoxicating and forever surprising, and they especially value the insights of other races because they often think of things no elf would ever consider. This openness and willingness to accept new ideas is regarded as foolish and dangerous by other elves, so ironically their own kin often give moon elves the coolest receptions. Despite their open minds, moon elves have little patience or interest in the various evil beings, and they hold orcs and gnolls in particular contempt. They avoid regions where such cultures hold sway, although moon elf adventurers often infiltrate these areas to spy on them. The moon elves share with the other elven subraces a hatred and loathing for the drow. They name them dhaerow. Traitor. Race : Sun Elf (Gold Elf) Ar'Tel'Quessir Regions : Elf (sun), Evermeet, The North, Silverymoon, Western Heartlands The majority of Faerûn's sun elves live on Evermeet, having abandoned what remained of their ancient realms during the centuries following the falls of Illefarn and Cormanthyr. They are only now returning to the mainland to reestablish their presence there. The sun elves are famed for their command of both arcane and divine magic, which exceeds that of any other living race. Works of elven high magic thousands of years old still survive in the hidden refuges of the sun elves. Sun elves are responsible for the majority of the great elven cities of legend, although other elven subraces aided in the construction of these cities. Myth Drannor is perhaps their most famous creation, although probably not their most magnificent. Sun elf realms are the stuff legends are made of, an integral part of the history of Faerûn for thousands of years. The sun elves certainly know this, for they distance themselves from nonelf races and often won't let such 'lesser beings' into their lands. Sun elves dress in clothing that is at the same time magnificent and understated, favoring cool colors such as blue and green. They decorate their clothes with intricate gold or mithril thread embroidery in exacting patterns whose subtle designs are easy to miss at first. Jewelry is simple but painstakingly crafted. Of all the elven subraces, sun elves are the most arrogant and haughty - even more so than the avariels, whose haughtiness is rooted in pity for the landbound races. Sun elves believe that they are they true elven race, the builders and the leaders of the elven realms, and they the other elven subraces fail to live up to the solemnity and dignity of their ancient stock. Physical appearance Sun elves have bronze skin, hair of golden blond, copper, or black, and eyes of green or gold. They favor contemplation, lore, and study over the quick games and light-hearted songs of other elves, but seem to embody the unearthly beauty, grace, and presence of the elves. Sun elves are unusually long-lived, even for elves, and use the following aging effect characteristics. Elf, sun 210 315 420 +6d%years Like most other Faerûnian elves, sun elves are comparitively tall and thin, and they use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of those described. Sun elf, male 4'10" +2d10 90 lb. x (2d4) lb. Sun elf, female 4'5" +2d10 70 lb. x (2d4) lb. Outlook The sun elves believe that they were selected by Corellon Larethian to be the defenders of elven tradition and history. They are also the most patient of the elven races, and they devote their time to perfecting a task rather than just merely completing the task. To a sun elf, rushing a job or finishing a project in anything less than perfection is betraying the elven ideal. As a result, they tend to have a much narrower range of skills than other elves, but they are the unrivaled masters of the skill, art, or crafted to which they turn their efforts. The only exception to this rule is combat. Sun elves have no love for combat, but they are nevertheless well trained in its ways. They view combat as a necessary evil, and one that should be resolved quickly so the task can be done and one can return to more pleasant and constructive pursuits. Sun elves are the least likely of the elven subraces to take up the adventurer's path. They see little point in roaming around the world and meeting other peoples, especially when any sun elf can enjoy as much comfort, study, and contemplation as she likes by remaining in one of the hidden sun elf realms. Most sun elf adventurers are more properly thought of as spies, dutiful scouts who make it their lifelong task to observe the other peoples of Faerûn and keep a vigilant watch for the rise of any threats to the elven homelands. A few sun elves are also drawn to the mystery of ancient power and seek to add to the lore of their people by exploring ruins of ancient empires all across Faerûn. Relations with other races The sun elves feel affection for the moon elves, although this affection is often unintentionally patronizing. They fear that their moon elf cousins are too flightly and irreverent, and they strive to help them return to the proper elven path with stern lectures and fatherly advice. They admire the wood elves and feel that they embody the elven spirit of nature. Relations are good between sun elf and wood elf, although the reclusive nature of the wood elves makes direct contact rare. Sun elves are a bit puzzled by the wild elves, and hope to one day civilize them. Aquatic elves are thought of as near-equals, and the sun elves believe that their water-breathing kin were placed in the world to bring to the seas what the sun elves bring to the lands above. The sun elves deeply regret the sufferings of the avariels, and occasionally send out explorers to seek out avariel aeries and offer them a place in Evermeet. Sun elf prejudice toward other races, (humans in particular) can be quite severe. Many sun elves won't even deign to speak to a human and would rather leave a dying man to meet his fate than to save him. This attitude is somewhat understandable, given the way humans have historically treated the sun elves and their lands, but it wins the sun elves few friends among their human neighbors. If there is one race that the sun elves hold in absolute contempt, and that is the drow. They view the dark elves as abominations and insults to the Seldarine, and often attack these hated enemies on sight. As word of the drow invation of Cormanthor begins to spread through Evermeet, it is likely that more and more sun elves will return to the mainland, if only to bring war to the drow and force them from the ruins of what sun elves still consider their lands. Race : Wild Elf (Green Elf) Sy'Tel'Quessir Regions : Chondalwood, Chjessenta, Chult, Elf (wild), or the Shaar. The wild elves of Faerûn are insular and savage, and as a result are rarely seen outside their forest homes. In ages past the wild elves (or green elves as they were more commonly known) raised great kingdoms in the forest and fielded armies to defend their homes, but with the mark of time they have abandoned the trappings of civilization, becoming a furtive, reclusive race. The wild elves were always close to nature, but they have forgotten many of the high arts and lore of their people, choosing stealth and survival over building and book learning. Physical appearance Wild elves are stocky and strongly built for elves. Their skin tends to be dark brown, and their hair ranges from black to light brown, lightening to silvery white with age. They are quiet around anyone except their own kind, and quickly become hostile in these uncomfortable situations. Clothing is kept to a minimum among the wild elves, although they make up for this with body decoration of all sorts - tattoos, war paint, feathers, and beaded jewelry that shows a surprising streak of complex and beautiful artistry. Wild elves share the height of their moon and sun elf kin but are more heavily built. They have standard aging characteristics, but use the following random height and weight options instead. Wild elf, male 4'10 +2d10 100 lb. x (2d4) lb. Wild elf, female 4'5" +2d10 80 lb. x (2d4) lb. Outlook The tragic history of the wild elves has left them untrusting of outsiders. Their tactics for dealing with intruders vary from tribe to tribe. Some simply hide and allow the trespassers to go by unknowing, while others attack to capture such interlopers. They rarely kill those they capture, preferring to use magic to alter their memories and carry them far away before releasing them. They make friends slowly, and most nonelves simply don't have the lifespans required to gain the trust of a tribe of green elves. They excel in combat and often revel in its chaos and primal fury. Little can match the fury of an enraged tribe of green elves. Relations with other races The green elves do not seek out relations with others, and they do their best to remain unseen and unknown. Nevertheless, wild elves have been known to interact with adventurers, explorers, and lost travelers. Usually, those people are captured, their memories magically erased, and then let go somewhere far from the tribal lands. Rarely, the elves allow a wanderer to visit their camp, usually in times of dire peril when they are forced to call upon outside aid. Those who manage to impress and even befriend a tribe of wild elves find that their friendship is strong and loyal, and such individuals are often gifted with wild elf tattoos or spirit animals. Race : Wood Elf (Copper Elf) Or'Tel'Quessir Regions : The Dalelands, Elf (wood), Great Dale, High Forest, the North, Tethyr, Western Heartlands. The wood elves are among the most numerous of Faerûn's elven people, a young and confident folk who hold the old elven forest homelands in strength. Heirs to the second generation of elven nations, the wood elves see their realms as the natural successors to lands such as Eaerlann and Cormanthyr. Where the old empires expanded with strength and pride, the realms of the wood elves hope to grow with compassion and humility. The wood elves do not view their homelands as a land apart from Faerûn; they understand better than their kindred that for better or worse, their fates are bound up with the fates of the humans, dwarves, and halflings around them. Physical appearance Also known as copper elves or sylvan elves, these people have coppery skin tinged with green, and brown, green, or hazel eyes. Hair is usually brown or black, occasionally blond or coppery-red. Wood elves prefer to dress in simple clothing, similar to the moon elves but not so colorful. They favor a simple cut to tunic or dress, set off by common embroidery in natural designs. They are particularly fond of leasther armor, and they often wear lovingly tooled and well-crafted suits even when they do not feel endangered. Their clothing, leather armor or not, is usually in dark shades of green and earth tones to better blend with their natural surroundings. They are a humble race and only rarely do they enhance their appearance with jewelry or similar accessories. Wood elves are as tal as most other Faerûnian elves but more heavily built. They have standard aging characteristics, but use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of those described. Wood elf, male 4'10" +2d10 100 lb. x (2d4) lb. Wood elf, female 4'5" +2d10 80 lb. x (2d4) lb. Outlook Wood elves are calm, serene, and difficult to surprise. Their patience is legendary. They are at one with the world of nature, and are not comfortable in areas of heavy civilization. They have lost the urge to build and replace nature with walls and palaces; even the cities build by their elven kin seem to be foolish to the wood elves. They have come to believe that buildings of stone are transitory in nature, and that in time, the forest returns to overgrow the greatest of cities. Other races interpret this attitude as fatalistic or condescending, and as a result wood elves find it hard to understand anyone who isn't a wood elf. Relations with other races In the five hundred years since the fall of Eaerlann, the wood elves have been forgotten by most of the other peoples of Faerûn. Only those humans and dwarves native to the North and familiar with the borders of the High Forest have seen copper elves, and even then they most likely met a solitary hunter or ranger. While the wood elves shelder deep inside forbidding forests and are therefore inaccessible to their neighbors, they are ironically among the more compassionate and understanding of the elven subraces. Like the moon elves, they accept the power of humankind and seek to live alongside their human neighbors and guide their expansion instead of seeking ways to deter or intimidate the human lands. Wood elves have a long history of cooperation with the shield dwarves, whose ream of Ammarindar stood alongside their own realm of Eaerlann for many centuries in the vale of the Delimbyr River. By extension, they look favorably on most other dwarves, too. Gnomes and halflings are both greeted as friends and potential allies. On the other hand, the wood elves have a cold place in their hearts for creatures such as orcs and gnolls, who bring axes, fire, and slaughter to the forests the wood elves have sworn to preserve. Race Star Elf (Mithral Elf), Daoin'Tel'Quessir Regions : Star elves live in the extraplanar realm of Sildëuir. A small number live quietly among the people of Aglarond, and choose that region. Note : '''The Star Elf is not an entry in Races of Faerun but instead is in Unapproachable East, and therefore is not quite as in depth. '''NB: These are not common and have a strong cultural identity. If you don't want to play this, please choose one of the more common elf races. The green depths of the Yuirwood hide an ancient secret long forgotten by folk beyond Aglarond's borders, and not widely known even within - the star elves, an elven subrace that retreated from Faerûn to an extraplanar refuged known as Sildëuyuir. Sometimes referred to in ancient texts as mithral elves, the star elves concealed the existance of their hidden kingdom for almost two thousand years, leaving behind nothing but mysterious ruins and old, strong magic in the stone circles of the Yuirwood. While the star elves have kept themselves apart from the rest of Faerûn for many centuries, their isolation is coming to an end. Besieged by an insidious peril from beyond the circles of the world, they face the possibility of being driven from Sildëyuir back to their ancient abode in the Yuirwood. Most star elves prefer not to involve themselves in the world's troubles. Star elf society valgues individual accomplishment and rights over collective effort. Physical appearance Of all the elven subraces, star elves most closely resemble moon elves. They have pale skin that sometimes takes on a pearly gray or faintly violet tinge, and hair of gold, red, or silver-white. Their eyes are grat or violet; sometimes with gold flecks. Like the sun elves or moon elves, star elves are tall and slender; males average between 5 1/2 and 6 feet in height and weigh around 140 pounds, while women are about half a foot shorter and weigh around 100 pounds. In their homes they favor elegant, embroidered tunics but dress in neutral colors with dappled gray-green cloaks to remain unseen in woodlands. Star elves are graceful and strikingly handsome by human standards. Outlook Star elves are cautious and aloof, keeping an emotional distance from events. They can be judgemental, although they take their time and consider many factors before passing juddment on a creature or action. Once won, a star elf's friendship (and enmity) is deep and long lasting. Star elves love beauty in any form and have a knack for perceiving inner beauty rather than outward appearance and actions. Among their own kind, star elves delight in song, dance, and works of magic, but away from their homeland they are slow to bestow the gift of their voice or artistry. Relations with other races Most star elves have removed themselves from the everyday life of Faerûn and therefore have little understanding of humans, dwarves, and other races. They think of humans as aggresive expansionists who readily take up blade and spell to get what they want, and they regard humans with caution. They get along well with other elves, especially sun and wood elves, but fear trouble from the moon elves' unguarded generosity and engagement of human realms. Race : Painted Elf This race is not one that has been featured in any Forgotten Realms sourcebook, so there is little information to be had. More closely related to wild elves than high elves, painted elves commonly dwell in petrified forests - which in ages past, they claim, were their ancestral homes. The painted elves take their name from the nature of the wastes in which they dwell, but also from their habit of camouflaging themselves with pigments derived from the mineral deposits found in such places. Though they rarely see visitors - since painted deserts and petrified forests offer little in the way of treasure - painted elves are extremely distrustful of outsiders, and can turn on guests at the slightest provocation. They prefer a druidic and nomadic lifestyle. Half-Elf, A'Tel'Quessir, Cha’Tel'Quessir (‘Half-Elves of the Yuirwood) Regions : Any Common half-elves are descended from humans and moon elves, sun elves, wild elves, or wood elves. Half-elves blend human and elven features, influenced by the subrace of their elven parent with the ethnicity of their human parent. Moon half-elves have pale skin tinged blueish around the ears and chin, framing their lower faces. Sun half-elves have bronzed-skin, and hair of gold. Wild half-elves have brown skin. Wood half-elves have coppery skin tinged with green highlights. Most common half-elves are a little but distant, used to being cast in the role of outsiders. Physical appearance Half-elves are more slender than humans, and more heavily built than elves. Since the elves of Faerûn are taller and more sturdily built than elves of other worlds, Faerûnian half-elves are very close to human size and weight. Use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of the default. Half-elf, male 4'10" +2d10 110 lb. x (2d4) lb. Half-elf, female 4'5" +2d10 80 lb. x (2d4) lb. Outlook While elves and half-elves are respected and admired in many parts of Faerûn, humans in lands where elves are not commonly encountered can be resentful of elven blood. Elves are graceful, attractive, long-lived, mysterious, and skilled with mighty magic, and humans who do not know them well can easily come to regard elves - and, by extension, half-elves - with envy and fear. In places such as Silverymoon or the Dalelands, a half-elf's race is nothing remarkable, and she faces little or no bigotry. In lands where is a long history of elven-human conflict, such as Tethyr or Sembia, her elven blood marks her as different and dangerous, with all the fears and suspicions one might expect. Many half-elves respond to the suspicions and slights of their human neighbors by staying well away from human civilization, preferring a solitary life in the wildernesses of Faerûn. Others instead take up a life of travel, never stauing in one spot long enough for racial prejudices to distance them from the folk around them. Relations with other races The common half-elves get along with most of the major races of Faerûn. They favor their own kind first and foremost, but they happily woprk with both humans and elves too, as well as dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. Like their elven parents, they often share a deep and abiding hatred for the orcan races. Taken From: http://dalelandsbeyond.forumotion.com/t604-basic-racial-information